Williamsburg Wanderings

As much as I enjoy the extra $$ from working Saturday mornings, I was happy to say so long farewell till the Fall. After a lovely sleep in, the Frans rallied and headed out to Williamsburg, Brooklyn for some nosh.

Rain loomed over our heads all day, but we were able to catch about an hour of full on sunlight. 

Where else would we go other then St. Balmain. The sun was calling for us and our bellies were hungry for something delicious.

I finally ordered the Avocado Toast. There are no words to describe how good this is. I wanted another and literally licked my plate.

Natty got the Green Breakfast Bowl. People seriously crave this. We passed a friend on the way out who declared..."I woke up thinking about that Breakfast Bowl and I made my husband come here with me so I could eat it". It is that good people.

Mer had their Salad with Grilled Chicken (I don't know the exact name...I'm sorry).

This is my side of Kale Chips. I went for the healthier option this round.

We had some familiar faces pop over to our table. This one was blown away when he saw our dessert order.

This is the Carmel Chocolate Pie (also not the exact name, but we couldn't remember). It was sinfully melt in your mouth delcious. It was super rich and we each had maybe three bites. 

This is the DIY Donut. St. Balmain is getting a lot of buzz about this puppy. It is a homemade donut with a bit of Strawberry compote inside. It is your job to inject the filling. You can choose from Chocolate, White Chocolate and Vanilla currently. I went for traditional chocolate. The beauty of this is there is no right way to fill the donut, it's up to you.

I made a mess of it, but boy did it taste good.

We could only hold off the rain for so long and had to finish our dessert inside.

Stir crazy, we headed out for a walk around Williamsburg after the torrential rain downpour.

Our wanderings eventually brought us to The Gorblas. It is a new rooftop bar and restaurant above the Urban Outfitters Concept Store on N 6th between Berry & Wythe Ave. I was a bit weary at first, but this place is awesome! The rooftop is not fully open yet, so we grabbed a bit of Rose at the inside bar and popped upstair to our personal teepee table.

We waited out the second downpour of the day in our teepee, and then retreated back to the Upper West Side for a relaxing evening at the homestead. What a GLORIOUS day.

xoxo

St. Balmain...where everybody knows your name.

Picture this...it is Saturday and you decide you want to head to Williamsburg Brooklyn for the day. The sun is out, there's not a cloud in the sky and the temp has finally breached 65 degrees. You step off the L train on Bedford and are hit by a crowd of hipsters, smelly euro-indie types that don't believe in deodorant and Manhattanites who had the same idea as you. Quaint Williamsburg isn't a hidden treasure anymore. The streets, stores and restaurants are generally packed on a nice weekend. You are beginning to wonder why you left the city to begin with.

Enter St. Balmain.

This newly opened cafe and now restaurant, is a diamond in the rough you do not want to pass by. Unique, healthy and flavor filled food, coffee just to your liking, and sweet treats to please every taste bud...it has much to offer.  The intimate indoor space lends for seating up to about 50 people. But, what you don't want to miss is their MASSIVE back deck. The space is littered with communal picnic tables and it gets sunlight pretty much all day. 

The Frans decided to head out for their grand opening this weekend. It was packed all day and I know once people get wind of what they have to offer, it is going to be one of the hottest brunch spots in Williamsburg this summer.

St. Balmain...where everybody knows your name. The owners do an incredible job of making everyone feel welcomed. It is an authentic neighborhood spot where you can come and lounge around for hours...just make sure you order! They also have free wi-fi so it is an ideal spot to come during the week to do work if you're a work from home type of person.

Mer and I both opted for the Green Breakfast Bowl. It is a mix of leafy greens, quinoa, almonds, avocado, grilled halloumi cheese, and a soft boiled egg.

You squeeze the lemon on top for a hint of citrus and dressing.

This is the Breakfast Sandwich. It is packed full with a fried egg, avocado, cheese, bacon and kale.

This is the remains of the LA Burger. It is a homemade veggie burger like patty over avocado spread, pickles, toast and topped with alfalfa. Hannah got the Avocado Toast (didn't get a picture), which she said is the best she has ever had.

This little treat is the 50/50...half homemade kale chips, half fries.

Suns out guns out.

This beauty is just shy of 9 months pregnant and was running things like a boss on opening day.

How could we resist dessert? We shared their Hipster Brownie. It is a gooey chocolate brownie with soft coconut inside and roasted on top. It is also sprinkled with a mix of nuts.

No better way to spend an afternoon than gathered round a picnic table in the sun with a bunch of Frans.

St. Balmain is open daily from around 9am - 6pm. Their all day brunch and lunch menu is in full swing. It is located in Williamsburg on N 8th between Bedford and Driggs.